Old-style Cooks Bring Fresh Image To Mexican Cuisine

March 21, 1985|By Marilyn Wilkinson.

South of the border, a Mexican revolution is underway. For the most part, this one is being commanded by a group of determined women who are out to convince their countrymen and foreigners alike that Mexican cooking can be versatile, sophisticated, healthy and--above all--good.

They are out to overthrow bad restaurants, bad images and the monotony that plagues most Mexican restaurant menus.

Recently, they had a chance to prove their case at the first Mexican Gastronomic Festival held at the Acapulco Plaza Hotel. The event was aided by a group of benefactors whose stature lends credibility to the idea that Mexico is serious about spreading the word about good Mexican cooking. The three-day cooking marathon was sponsored by Aeromexico Airlines, Posadas de Mexico

(operators of the Acapulco Plaza) and Banamex (the national bank of Mexico)

under the auspices of the Mexican Ministry of Tourism and the Instituto de Cultura Gastronomia. It is the institute that brought the 12 women together for this event.

Formed in 1981, the institute is the brainchild of Jorge and Alicia De`Angeli. He is the publisher of Club de Gourmets, a Mexican culinary and travel magazine. She is a lifelong cook and teacher, starting her professional life by teaching girls at a Jesuit school in Mexico City.

After a trip four years ago to Spain, the couple realized that an organization for this purpose would have more credibility than their individual efforts. That is when they began recruiting Mexico`s good cooks

--mostly women Alicia knew.

``The (Mexican) cooking in the home is better than the restaurants,``

Jorge says. ``We are trying to take with us out of our kitchen the real cuisine.`` Mexico, like the United States, has had a tradition of European-style continental restaurants; therefore, most chefs are not skilled in native cooking. And most patrons do not expect it in restaurants.

Attending the Acapulco seminar were several Mexico City chefs and journalists, as well as American editors from such publications as Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and McCalls.

Those who did attend encountered an eclectic blend of food preparation with roots in pre-Columbian times and its present interpretation firmly influenced by things nouvelle. Reduced sauces, fresh ingredients,

presentation, an emphasis on fish, poultry and vegetables and cutbacks in the traditional Mexican cooking fat (lard) all are part.

``When the Spanish arrived in Mexico,`` Jorge De`Angeli says, ``they found a highly developed culinary tradition whose exquisite sauces, subtly flavored ingredients and spices and cooking methods anticipated those of the nouvelle cuisine by several centuries.``

Beginning with a traditional beach-side dinner of dishes from Guerrero

(the state in which Acapulco is located), the festival unfolded the next two days with demonstrations by the 12 women that included a range as complicated and diverse as you would expect from a dozen learned and opinionated cooks anywhere. For example:

From Monica Patino, the young owner of one of Mexico`s few nouvelle Mexican restaurants, came alones de pollo al pulque (chicken wings in the fermented sap of the century plant). Martha Chapa, best known in Mexico as a painter, presented pork in strawberry sauce. Patricia Quintana, a chic Mexico City caterer and director of the executive dining room for Turismo, created an inspired and complicated dish of masa-dough seashells holding spirals of red snapper in a delicate chili sauce.

There wasn`t a taco in sight, although enchiladas managed to make a stunning appearance in a recipe created by Martha Chapa: lobster enchiladas in hazelnut sauce.

While it might be tough trying to find these dishes anywhere on a Mexican restaurant menu now, the institute has plans to change that. According to De`Angelis, the institute sees its role as education--enticing the chefs who attend these events to come for cooking lessons.

In conjunction with the internal campaign to promote Mexican foods, the Mexican government is recognizing the export value of its fine cuisine. According to Undersecretary of Tourism Guillermo Grimm, 1985 will be the

2. Puree nuts, garlic, bread and chili with broth in a blender (or food processor). Drain 2 tablespoons fat from skillet. Add puree to skillet, season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

3. Lightly fry the tortillas one by one in the olive/vegetable oil mixture just until limp. (You will have to dip them only momentarily.) Dip enchiladas in hazelnut sauce. Place some lobster in each tortilla and fold. Arrange in a serving dish as you go. Top with any remaining sauce and the remaining 2 ounces of hazelnuts. Serve immediately as a first course.